I can’t believe it is here. I feel like I have been waiting for it forever. It’s been 10 years in the making, but finally, it’s here: Fabrikam Day!
I remember working at Microsoft and seeing this date in the sample company and thinking, wow, that day is so far away. I mean, we did see this day before in 2007 with The World Online, but 2017 just didn’t seem real. Now, we are ready to welcome it with open arms and patiently wait for the date to change to April 12, 2027. (Rumor has it that won’t be happening in the GP2018 release, but I look forward to the one after that.)
For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, let me explain. Fabrikam is the sample company in Microsoft Dynamics GP. At one point, when the test company was The World Online, the date was 4/12/2007, but that date came and went and a new date was set for the sample company – 4/12/2017. Someone at Microsoft picked this arbitrary date to be the default. Little did they know how exciting it would be when that date rolled around. Or maybe they did know and have big plans themselves.
Having been in the GP world for quite a few years now, I have seen the true value Fabrikam has been to Microsoft Dynamics GP users. You just install the sample data when you install the product and you are off and running. You can test, create scenarios, and practice daily activities in real life. My personal favorite sample data is Baker’s Emporium and 128 SDRAM. I used them all the time. If I were training, the class always got excited when I used something else. But those two records will always be special. Maybe for Baker’s Emporium it was because most people didn’t move past the A’s so I wanted to give a customer in the B’s a chance. I love an underdog.
So here we are, on the brink of Fabrikam Day and I couldn’t help but wonder if my other team members were as excited as I was. So I asked. I wanted to know what Fabrikam Day meant to them and what their plans were to celebrate the important day.
Here’s what they had to say:
(An alias has been used in some cases to protect the innocent.)
For me, Fabrikam Day recognizes the community of partners, customers, ISVs, and Microsoft people with whom I have built long lasting relationships. I have new friends, and I don’t just mean on Facebook, but true friends I spend time with and get to know even better. That’s the best part of this community!
I’m looking forward to Fabrikam Day so I can celebrate with my team, reflect back on my years in the Microsoft Dynamics GP community, and look forward to what is coming in the future. Now, if only I can get our employer to recognize this as an important holiday and have the day off.
Happy Fabrikam Day everyone!
